The Giants' Tim Lincecum allowed the Rockies five runs in the second inning but retired 15 of 18 batters in the other five innings. / Jeff Chiu, AP

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

by Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY Sports

SAN FRANCISCO â?? If you were seeking clues about the direction Tim Lincecum's career is heading â?? continuing its puzzling spiral or returning to its former glory â?? Tuesday's 9-6 win against the Colorado Rockies was not the place to find them.

A quick glance at the stat line would seem to indicate the San Francisco Giants right-hander is still a lost soul, much like he was in going 10-15 with a 5.18 ERA last season, and just as he was during a dreadful spring hampered by a blister.

Walking the opposing pitcher twice and giving up six runs in six innings would lend itself to such conclusions.

Watching Lincecum come unglued during a five-run second that featured three walks and a wild pitch, nobody's first thought would be, "Oh yeah, this was the guy won two Cy Youngs in a row.''

Lincecum was so out of whack that not only did he fail to put away Rockies pitcher Juan Nicasio after getting ahead in the count 1-2 with two outs in the second â?? opening the door for the ensuing four runs â?? but he walked Nicasio on four pitches his next time up.

On the other hand, except for the fateful second, Lincecum retired 15 of the 18 batters he faced, the only run in that spell scoring on a Troy Tulowitzki homer. Lincecum allowed four hits and struck out seven, facing a lineup with several hitters who usually batter him around pretty good.

"It was kind of a strange outing,'' manager Bruce Bochy understated. "I think this one he should feel good about, the way he bounced back and the way he threw the ball.''

In some ways, Lincecum's performance was an improvement upon his first outing of the season, when he danced around trouble against the Los Angeles Dodgers and somehow gave up only two runs (both unearned) in five innings despite walking seven.

Lincecum's fastball consistently registered 91 mph on the stadium radar gun Tuesday, and his changeup was its usually biting self.

But when that fastball is not hitting its intended spots and the other secondary pitches are not as sharp â?? Tulowitzki's homer came on a flat slider â?? Lincecum's nowhere near the indomitable force he used to be when leading the league in strikeouts three years in a row, from 2008-10.

At 28, earlier than would be expected, Lincecum is having to deal with the transition from elite starter to, as they say in football, game manager. Against the Rockies he kept the score from getting out of control and allowed the Giants to come back from a 6-2 fifth-inning deficit, which he and the club found encouraging.

"After giving up those five runs,'' Lincecum said, "I was just trying to settle in, trying to be competitive, battle and stay out there as long as I could.''

That might not be quite what the Giants want to get from a pitcher making $22 million this season, but for now, it beats last year's results.